Burnley have a two-step plan to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season, before installing a permanent choice when the curtain falls on the campaign. That's according to The Athletic who claim the Clarets are intent on making the right appointment for the long-term future of the club.
The decision to part ways with Sean Dyche was one that shocked the Premier League, with the 50-year-old praised for the work he's done at Turf Moor. The former Watford centre-back has been in charge for over a decade and has kept the club in the Premier League since winning promotion in 2015-16, later taking the Clarets into Europe.
Burnley's under-23 manager Mike Jackson took charge of their 1-1 draw with West Ham at the weekend, aided by academy director Paul Jenkins and club captain Ben Mee. The process to find Dyche's successor is underway, but their decision to appoint an interim coach could work in Leeds United's favour.
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Clarets chairman Alan Pace has drawn up a list of potential candidates and they want a new manager at the helm for the game against Southampton, but based on current progress, the report suggests there are no guarantees that will be the case. The game against the Saints is one of Burnley's games in hand and defeat at Turf Moor would leave them eight points adrift of the Whites, level on games.
Leeds' relegation rivals are then in line to face Wolves on Sunday, 24 April, the day before the Whites are back in action. The Clarets will have played 33 games by the time Marsch's side next kick a ball.
The decision to appoint an interim manager raises questions over Dyche's departure, with the report claiming they have not given up the ghost of Premier League survival. The longer they deliberate, the less time an interim manager will have to change their fortunes.
